Question:
I keep reading references to the term

What exactly are the qualifications (if you can call them that)to be considered a "lightweight"?    — Sketch (posted on August 2, 2003)

August 2, 2003
I was a light weight. I am 4'11" and weighed 220.I now weight 145 but want to loose at least 25#. I think 250# and under is considered a light-weight. Many here now weigh 100-115# in this catagory. I'm sure you'll get more consise answers.
   — Cindee A.

August 2, 2003
I think it is a somewhat diparaging term because I am sure that I am not the only "lightweight" who felt anything but light. I think it refers to people with a BMI close to 40. I have seen people on here who have said they were lightweights with super MO BMI's so I have no idea if there is an actual qualifier. I had a BMI of 40.7 at surgery but weighed 266 so who knows. I have lost my weight at the same rate percentage wise as many people much bigger than I was. I was 277 before I started my 2 week presurgical diet and am now down 105 pounds at 6.5 months out with just 22 pounds to go until goal.
   — Carol S.

August 2, 2003
I was considered a lightweight at 5'2", 235 pounds. I barely qualified for my RNY and probably would have been denied if I hadn't had several cormorbidities (borderline sleep apnea, reflux disease, back and knee problems).
   — MomBear2Cubs

August 2, 2003
If you are MO then you are a light-weight, whereas if you are SMO you are not. Quite simple :>) It IS a somewhat disparaging term, but it's merely a way of differentiating between two groups of people with similar yet different problems. I hated to think I was a heavy-weight!
   — [Deactivated Member]

August 2, 2003
Hi Tony, it all depends on how much you need to lose not how big you are. Someone who has 125lbs to lose is in the light-weight category, even someone at 145lbs, Once you start getting to 150lbs or more overweight, you are a heavy weight.
   — M B.

August 3, 2003
Tony, the term 'lightweight' is a reference to the BMI morbidity charts that the surgeons and the insurance companies have developed to determine severity of obesity. The BMI is a calculation of the body height and the body weight. So, The morbidly obese have a BMI of 40 or above. Folks who are severely obese (the next category down) have a BMI range of 35-40. Surgeons and insurance companies will consider patients in the 35-40 range who have what are called "co-morbidities" which just means that they have other issues, such as blood sugar problems, high blood pressure, etc. I am in the lightweight category, being 5'6" and weighing 221 pounds; I am hypoglycemic and experiencing some circulation problems in my legs and feet. I hope to have my Lap RNY in September.
   — Deborah M.